Since the beginning of the dry season, the main culverts have been staffed 24/7 to ensure efficient operation.
Effective production of Winter-Spring crop 2023-2024
According to the provincial Department of Rural Development and Irrigation, this year's dry season, although salinity intrusion is not as severe as the dry seasons of 2015-2016 and 2019-2020, it is higher than the average of many years. In early December 2023, saltwater began to intrude into the main rivers in the province.
Director of the Provincial Center for Management and Exploitation of Irrigation Works - Trang Tan Tai said that in order to proactively and promptly deploy solutions to prevent and respond to drought and salinity in the 2023-2024 dry season, contributing to proactively providing water resources for production and people's lives. Right from the beginning of the dry season, the Center focused on assessing the current situation of drought and salinity intrusion in the past 3 years; assessing the current status and management and operation of irrigation works in the province; at the same time, proactively proposing solutions to prevent and combat drought and salinity, and protect production.
The Center organizes bidding and construction of projects that have been allocated funding, ensuring that water supply needs for agricultural production and daily life are met. Along with that, the Center conducts surveys of areas likely to be affected by saltwater intrusion to promptly build temporary dams to prevent saltwater intrusion at the beginning of horizontal canals connecting to rivers and main canals affected by saltwater intrusion, ensuring that saltwater does not infiltrate into the fields.
On the other hand, the Center regularly monitors and coordinates with the Irrigation Investment and Construction Management Board 10 to urge the progress of the construction of salinity prevention dams combined with swing dikes at the sluices: Tran Le Xuan, Bun Ba Cua, canal 1, canal 2, Cai Tom canal and canal 12; monitors and inspects the quality of construction and repair of replacing the valve gates from automatic to forced opening and closing at 6 sluices on Provincial Road 827B, Chau Thanh district (Binh Tam, Ky Son, Tam Vu, Cho Giua, Eo Dec, Rach Tram).
Chau Thanh district leaders inspected production water sources in the district in early April 2024.
Tan Tru district is a locality that is often affected by drought and salinity in the province, lacking irrigation water in the dry season, causing damage to many rice and vegetable growing areas in the area. However, since the Nhat Tao - Tan Tru irrigation system was upgraded, increasing its water storage capacity, the locality has been proactive in sourcing fresh water to irrigate about 5,000 hectares of rice and about 7,000 hectares of vegetables in the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop.
Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tan Tru district - Dang Van Tay Lo said that in previous years, during the dry season, the source of fresh water for agricultural production in the locality was often in short supply, not meeting the irrigation needs. Currently, although Nhat Tao sluice has been closed since December 2023 to prevent salinity, the intra-field canals in the area still ensure the source of irrigation water for the district's agricultural production area.
Mr. Bui Duc Ly (Binh Trinh Dong commune, Tan Tru district) shared: “Thanks to the Nhat Tao - Tan Tru irrigation system, in recent years the water source for production has always been guaranteed, the winter-spring rice yield is higher than the previous year. In recent years, people are no longer worried about the lack of irrigation water and salinity intrusion in the dry season, but mainly focus on caring for and managing pests and diseases so that rice plants can achieve high yields.”
In order to ensure adequate water supply for agricultural production in 2024 and the following years, Chau Thanh district has developed a plan, made estimates, and implemented 10 lists of drought-prevention projects in the dry season of 2024 in the communes of Hoa Phu, Vinh Cong, Hiep Thanh, Binh Quoi, Phuoc Tan Hung, Thanh Phu Long, An Luc Long, Long Tri, Thuan My and Thanh Vinh Dong with a total length of more than 31km, costing about 8 billion VND from the district budget.
In addition, the district received investment from the province to dredge 6 categories of irrigation works including 7 Thuoc canal (Vinh Cong commune), Pump station canal (Hoa Phu commune), Tram canal (Thanh Vinh Dong commune), Song Cui canal (Thuan My commune), T2 canal (Long Tri commune) with a length of about 28km, total capital of about 20 billion VND.
Mr. Tran Van Khoi (Phuoc Tan Hung commune, Chau Thanh district) shared: “During the drought and salinity season this year, my family’s 1.4ha dragon fruit garden has enough irrigation water thanks to the abundant water resources in the internal canals in the commune. At the same time, my family also applies a water-saving irrigation system to production to save maximum water resources.”
The provincial Department of Agriculture inspected Cay Gao pumping station (Thu Thua district)
In Thu Thua district, from the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin in 2024 until now, the main sluices in the district have been completely closed to prevent saltwater intrusion into the fields. The fresh water source for agricultural production areas of the people in the district is guaranteed thanks to the Cay Gao 1 sluice and the Dao canal sluice. Since the pumping stations of these two sluices were built and put into operation, the locality has overcome the intrusion of saltwater deep into the fields, there is no longer a shortage of irrigation water in the dry season, protecting the entire area of rice, crops, and fruit trees, so people are very excited.
Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thu Thua district - Le Anh Tuan said that since the beginning of the dry season, the unit has arranged staff to be on duty at the main sluice gates 24/24 hours, regularly measuring salinity twice a day. When the salinity is below 1g/l, the sluice gates are opened to take water for storage; when the salinity is 1g/l or higher, the sluice gates are completely closed to prevent salinity.
Minimize damage
According to the assessment of the Provincial Hydrometeorological Station, in the coming time, the phenomenon of hot weather, high temperature, and saltwater intrusion will continue to occur very complicatedly, which will greatly affect a number of crops such as rice, guava, jackfruit, papaya, and lemon.
Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development - Nguyen Thanh Truyen informed that although localities have proactively implemented synchronous solutions to prevent and combat drought and salinity since the beginning of the dry season. However, due to prolonged hot weather, salinity has penetrated deep into the fields, affecting daily life and production. Up to now, about 5,000 hectares of lemon and fruit trees have lacked irrigation water, and their productivity and output are likely to decrease. Of which, Ben Luc district has nearly 1,500 hectares, Thu Thua district has nearly 1,500 hectares, Thanh Hoa district has more than 1,000 hectares, Tan Tru district has more than 600 hectares, Tan An city and Duc Hoa district have more than 80 hectares, ...
Previously, since the beginning of the dry season, the Department of Agriculture has developed scenarios with specific response plans; at the same time, coordinated with localities to propagate and mobilize people to plant crops on schedule, use water economically and effectively; provide guidance on appropriate technical solutions for cultivation in drought and salinity conditions, and store fresh water to serve production when salinity penetrates deep into the fields.
Authorities regularly check water quality at main sewers to limit saltwater leakage into canals and ditches.
The provincial Department of Agriculture requires localities to salvage water hyacinth and dredge the intra-field canal system to clear the flow and store fresh water; speed up the construction of irrigation works such as repairing culverts, dams, and dredging canals to ensure storage, regulation, and supply of water, and limit water leakage and loss. For areas that do not have a guaranteed source of fresh water for rice production, the Department of Agriculture encourages people to change the crop structure to adapt to drought and salinity, and limit unnecessary damage.
In addition, the Department also directed the Department of Rural Development and Irrigation to coordinate with the Center for Management and Exploitation of Irrigation Works and the Provincial Hydrometeorological Station to closely monitor the salinity changes and regularly notify relevant levels and sectors to inform people to proactively store water for agricultural production and daily life. Thereby, minimizing the damage caused by drought and salinity.
“In the face of the complicated drought and salinity situation in the 2023-2024 dry season, the Provincial People's Committee has issued a decision to announce a level 4 salinity intrusion disaster. In addition, the Provincial People's Committee also requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Finance to consider supporting 157 billion VND for the province to prevent and combat drought and salinity, protect production and serve people's lives" - Mr. Nguyen Thanh Truyen added./.
Bui Tung
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